THEME 7: PUBLIC HEALTH AND COMMUNITY WELLBEING

Public Health and Wellbeing (PHW) is rapidly emerging as a unifying priority for agencies involved in achieving public good outcomes. There is a growing awareness within the water sector that it plays a significant role in public health and wellbeing, both directly and indirectly. Most evident in the past has been the health benefits of quality services for drinking water and sewerage to customers, but there is growing evidence that water businesses can be a lead player with other partners to improve regional public health and wellbeing outcomes.

The following topics and themes are some of the areas we would like to explore at Ozwater’19:

● Health Based Targets: examples of implementation

● Emerging contaminants and issues facing public health

● Water Fluoridation

● Application of the Australian Drinking Water Guidelines

● The latest developments in recycled water safety

● Case studies from overseas utilities

● The role of education programs

● Healthy and active living

● Change through place-based approaches

● Tap water as a beverage of choice

● Drought response planning for priority open spaces

● Provision of safe, reliable sewerage to unsewered communities

● Improving assets to improve health and wellbeing outcomes

● Addressing disadvantage

● Preventing and addressing violence against women and children

● Harnessing Citizen Science to improve community outcomes

● Partnerships that position water as integral to better long term strategic planning outcomes for communities